


The Open Window

by bluemermaid



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen, Hogwarts, Secretly it's a pre-slash f/f fic but read it as you will, restricted section
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-21
Updated: 2015-02-21
Packaged: 2018-03-14 00:51:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,512
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3402407
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluemermaid/pseuds/bluemermaid
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hermione comes across a curious situation.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Open Window

There was only one window in the Restricted Section, and most Hogwarts students weren't even aware of its existence. It was a small, round portal high up in the far corner, and it had long since been covered in dust and cobwebs, so that it lay invisible to any but the most discerning eye.

Or so it had been. On this particular morning, that round little window was wide open, allowing a chill breeze and a ray of weak sunlight to spill into the library, illuminating the floating dust particles in the air. Hermione Granger stood looking up at the opening with a curious expression on her face, as though she had never seen such a scene. And indeed, she hadn't.

In her everlasting zeal for learning, and having a solid reputation as a dutiful and trustworthy student, Hermione was a rather frequent visitor to the Restricted Section of the library. Most of her Professors had given up even asking for Miss Granger's particular reasoning for each of her excursions; they simply signed her requests and sent the girl on her way. And many a night found Madam Pince, the librarian, shooing Hermione out of the stacks as the evening curfew drew near. But in all of Hermione's trips for rare tomes and fascinating texts, she had never noticed the window sitting above her.

Of course, it was rather obvious now, as the wind ruffled Hermione's unruly locks and the sunlight made her eyes squint. But the most curious thing about the sudden appearance of an open window was the bit of tattered robe caught in its corner, fluttering wildly in the breeze.

"What on earth?" Hermione asked, and lifted her wand, casting a Summoning spell to retrieve this piece of evidence. She clutched the ragged strip of ripped robe and examined it carefully, hoping to find some clue as to its owner, or at least as to why it might be caught in an opened window. But there was nothing to be gained by it; it was simply a common variety of robe fabric, such as one might find sewn into the robes of the majority of the student population. It told her nothing.

There was only one thing that Hermione felt the need to do in such strange situations: Tell someone. She would rush off to a Professor, somebody older and trustworthy, and they would be able to take over and find the proper answer. Briefly, she considered going to Harry and Ron, but such a decision could only lead to mindless speculation, which was surely just a waste of time. No, Hermione would simply give the robe to an authority figure and be on her way. It had nothing to do with her, really, but she felt the need to look out for her school and her fellow students. If somebody was crawling out windows, something had to be done. It just wasn't safe.

But before Hermione could be on her way to inform someone of the situation, a body began to crawl its way back through the window. Two pale hands gripped the edge, and slowly a head came into view, a head surrounded by a halo of whirling, tangled blonde hair. Luna Lovegood slipped through the portal and dropped heavily to the floor, gasping lightly upon impact and landing hard on her rump. She looked up at Hermione and smiled. "Hello," she said, as though it were a perfectly normal morning.

"Luna, what are you doing?" Hermione asked, her voice leaping up into its higher register, as her eyebrows leapt up her forehead. "You could have been seriously hurt, diving through the window like that. And what on earth made you go out that thing in the first place?"

"I was following the Nistrists," Luna replied calmly. She climbed awkwardly to her feet and tucked her hair behind her ears, before dusting off her backside and straightening her robes. "But it's all right; they're gone now."

Hermione frowned so hard she could feel the wrinkles cutting into her skin. This was just like Luna Lovegood, to go traipsing off chasing nothing and getting herself into trouble. It was the exact reason why she often felt as though simply standing beside Luna was a danger to her brain exploding. Luna Lovegood was certifiably mad; that was the simple truth of it. Hermione didn't know how to deal with mad people, considering herself to be the very height of sanity. "There isn't any such thing as Nistrists," she said sternly, crossing her arms over her chest. "And I suppose you haven't even got a pass to be in the Restricted Section, either."

"Well, I didn't expect to be here, did I?" Luna asked, leaning forward and fixing Hermione with a very serious stare. "I only expected to be in the Astronomy section, but then the Nistrists showed up and I simply had to follow them. What would Daddy say if I'd encountered Nistrists and didn't bring him back any evidence? He'd be so terribly disappointed, you know."

"Luna," said Hermione, and there it was just then, her brain swelling in preparation for the explosion, every moment like a drum pounding in her ears. "How did you get out that window without falling to your death? We're on the fourth floor."

Luna, who usually looked rather peaceful, calm, and happy, seemed often to lose this serenity when speaking to Hermione, which certainly did nothing to make the latter witch feel any better about their relationship. "I've already told you," Luna said, somewhat coldly now, as she began to pat her hair in an odd fashion. "I was following Nistrists. They can fly, you know." She looked up, then down again. "Have you seen my wand, by the way? I was sure I'd tucked it away just here." She patted her head again.

"Oh, they can fly," Hermione said, and rolled her eyes with a huff. "Well, that explains everything." She glared at Luna. "And it's in your waistband," she snapped.

"Thank you," Luna said simply, brushing her robes aside to retrieve her wand, which was indeed sticking out the waistband of her skirt. She pulled the wand out and tucked it carefully behind her ear. "It's all right if you don't believe me, you know. It doesn't make them any less real."

"Of course it does," Hermione replied, who could never seem to stop herself from getting into arguments. The truth was just there, it was so black and white that she couldn't bear to ignore it; it had to be acknowledged whenever possible. That was just the most logical way of doing things, really, acknowledging truth. How would anyone ever learn anything otherwise? "Nobody's ever seen them but you, and if you can't see something, of course it can't exist. Why must you keep pretending?"

"But you can't see magic, can you?" Luna asked, and suddenly Hermione felt the scrap of cloth she'd been holding shoot out of her fingers. Luna caught it in midair and smiled. "You see? You saw nothing, and yet I've got my robe back. You know magic exists."

"But I can see what you've done," Hermione replied, gesturing towards the fabric. "There's consequences. Your imaginary beasts have no consequences."

"Oh?" Luna asked, and for a moment Hermione actually thought she'd gotten through to the girl. However, the remark was followed by Luna pulling something else from her robes. "What's this, then?"

It was a tuft of reddish fur. Hermione gaped at it for a moment. "Surely it's the fur from some sort of magical creature," she said slowly, her brow furrowing in thought. "I only wish I could remember which one."

"The Nistrist, actually," said Luna. "One of them was kind enough to lend me a bit of fur, to send to Daddy. He'll be so happy."

"But," said Hermione, and was suddenly furious, because it was a rare occasion for her to be rendered speechless, as she usually had an answer for everything. The world made sense when she had an answer to anything. But now Luna Lovegood had come flying through a window with a bit of red fur, and Hermione had no answer for it. It was infuriating. "How've you done it?" she demanded.

"I'm sorry, but I really must go," Luna replied, tucking the fur back into her robes. "I've got no pass for the Restricted Section, you see, and I don't want to get into trouble. Thanks for holding onto my robe for me. I was in such an excitement that it tore at the edge of the window, there." She crumpled the scrap of ripped robe up in her fingers and made to leave, wandering gracefully past Hermione as though she were simply out having a casual stroll. "Goodbye, Hermione."

"But I don't understand!" Hermione cried, watching Luna leave and feeling her stomach drop with helplessness. She was deeply distressed, for now she'd have to abandon her homework and spend the morning flipping through books searching for red-furred flying creatures, and she wasn't sure she'd ever find one.


End file.
